Toshiba Satellite L355 (S7915) is a 17-inch notebook that can be had for a dirt-cheap $348 for people who just want to check their e-mail, surf the Web, watch movies and do some word processing. The performance is good for a sub-$400 system and gives you better specs and performance punch for your dollar which is sufficient enough in a budget notebook.
Design
A few design letdowns aside including, an absent webcam, Toshiba combines a matte, fingerprint resistant lid and keyboard deck with a matte black keyboard. In addition to the color scheme, it has added slick finishes, Harman Kardon speakers and USB ports that charge gadgets even while a notebook is asleep. The space above the keyboard is devoid of any launch keys or multimedia controls and there’s a thin, unused panel that houses search buttons on more expensive configurations of this system. It measures 15.6 x 11.4 x 1.6 inches and weighs 7 pounds.
Keyboard and Touchpad
The L355 has a full number pad along the right hand side of the keyboard and the keyboard’s panel is sturdy, even if it is a bit noisy. On the Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor test you are able to type at 86 words per minute. The 1.8 x 3.0-inch touchpad is pretty large and has low friction, making it easy to drag the cursor across the screen.
Display and Sound
The bright, 17-inch widescreen display has a glossy finish that makes the colors pop, but the viewing angles are abstracted. When you watch a DVD, the picture looks crisp and vibrant head on, but as soon as the lid dips forward the screen appeared washed out and while watching from the side the contrast is too low. The 1440 x 900 resolution is low compared to other desktop replacements, but once buffered; an HD program on Hulu ran smoothly and showed lots of detail.
The speakers, located on either side of the strip above the keyboard, produce loud sound when you stream songs on Slacker, but a noisy air conditioner can easily drown out movie dialogs. When you play quality tracks they sound little tinny. The L355 has a volume wheel on the front edge, unlike individual buttons on older notebooks.
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